


Affairs of the Heart

by Averil



Series: The Good Intent Series [2]
Category: Pet Shop of Horrors
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-03
Updated: 2011-08-03
Packaged: 2017-10-22 04:20:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/233683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Averil/pseuds/Averil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there</i> aka D might not admit it but he misses his detective.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Affairs of the Heart

Sometimes he dreams of golden flesh and golden hair coiled around his self like rope. Wide shoulders and large hands and his own body pushing up against them, with his long nails leaving impressions down that back.

Then he would wake and the loneliness he felt was almost unbearable.

*

D had never run from his duty, never neglected it nor rebelled against it. He did what he had to do, what he owed his family and the generations that had been before him. Yet, yet…

He had done the right thing, moving the store; it was safer here in Tokyo, no FBI, no suspicions, no detective… He had done the right thing - he knew it! Therefore he couldn’t understand why his heart ached like it did or why his animals all gave him such pitying looks.

As it was he simply raised his hand and brushed it wearily across his eyes and with some small amount of disbelief he regarded T-chan, “Pardon?”

“I think we should go back to L.A,” the animal repeated, each work spoken quite clearly – as if he was addressing an idiot.

D’s answering glare made it clear that he recognized the implication. “Why on earth would we do that?” D finally replied, standing as he did and beginning to gather the tea supplies spread on the table in front of him.

T-chan ignored the dismissive actions that the Count was making and continued on as if he wasn’t riling up the Chinese man, “look Count no one is ever gonna accuse me of being a Leon fan” – pausing for a second to give the Count a look as the name caused the man to stumble slightly with the tea cup in his hand – “but this place sucks. Too many people and they are all ass’s.”

“T-chan!” D exclaimed, seemingly appalled by the animal’s language. “We are just new here and everyone is interested in us – it is indeed human nature to be curious.”

“Yeah, yeah,” T-chan mumbled, looking disbelievingly at D, “I know you had your fair share of admirers back in L.A but geez Count, they were subtle compared to the people coming round all the time here.”

D’s lips thinned in annoyance but to said nothing to counter T-chan’s claims, sighing he picked up the tray on which he had placed his tea pot and cups and began to make his way to the kitchen. What annoyed him most was that he knew T-chan had a point, the people here in Tokyo were far more eager to see him then those he had left behind in Chinatown, but D knew that most of their eagerness stemmed from a better knowledge and respect for what he was. Still, he had to admit, even if only to himself, that their respect did not stop their eyes from gazing over him as if he was a prize.

He set the tray on the kitchen counter near the sink with a slight clang, and began to run the water to warm. He absentmindedly brushed Pon-chan away as she attempted to take over the cleaning. As if he would ever allow those human’s to touch him! And while he was nothing but polite to his constant visitors he also made sure that it was clear, at least he thought he did, that he was completely unavailable to them. He was not a prize they could win and show off on their arms.

Their obvious attraction to him was not appealing; and their inability to be able to have any sort of discussion with him was annoying. He didn’t necessarily want to be arguing with any of his visitors but he wouldn’t mind if they were able to form any opinions of their own. Constant agreement could get quite tiring, and somewhat boring. He began rinsing the teacups, trying to pay full attention to them and the job at hand but T-chan’s request and words were difficult to ignore, no matter how much he desired to.

It was lovely here in Tokyo, it may be somewhat boring and a bit to quiet but. But that was fine, D nodded firmly to himself, pausing in his cleaning of the dishes.

T-chan and Pon-chan watched him quietly from a corner of the room, and wondered whether their master even realized that he had been standing unmoving for the last few minutes, simply gazing longingly out the window.

*

“Ah, thank you,” D said, tentatively taking the offered gift from the man sitting opposite him. “You really… didn’t have to.”

The Japanese man smiled, rubbing at the back of his neck, “Hai-hai, I know but I saw it and it just reminded me of you so much!”

“Ne…” D said, trying to form words of appropriate thanks. He looked at his ‘gift’ again, the tiny figurine, with shoulder-length black hair and wearing a kimono. D’s nose turned up slightly, and if he felt giving he could possible agree that the toy bore some passing resemblance to himself. But as it was… well, he was certain that he could hear T-chan’s laughter coming from one of the back rooms. “It looks far to expensive,” he heard himself say finally, and his hands automatically tried to pass the gift back.

His visitor blushed, and took advantage of D’s attempt to return the gift by lightly clasping the Count’s hands. “Please, it is a very rare and old figurine yes, but it is just one way that I can attempt to convey my appreciation of you.”

D’s lips thinned and turned down, disgust wrapped around his lips, though unseen to his persistent visitor. He pulled his hands back quickly, willingly taking the figurine in exchange for his hands freedom.

The Japanese man smiled and blushed further, taking D’s actions as an acceptance of his gift and appreciation. “If I could though…” he began, his hands now on his knees and fidgeting with the material gathered there from his pants, “could I make one request of you?”

D’s eyebrows rose as he reacted to the words but he said nothing.

“Could you,” the man before the Count suddenly bowed his head forward, “call me by my given name!”

The man’s bowed head allowed him to miss the Count’s shiver of disgust. And the silence between the two men was only broken when T-chan came into the room and made his way to D’s side, to rest at the Chinese man’s feet. D’s hand quickly came to rest on the animal’s head and he quickly tangled his hand in Tetsu’s hair.

T-chan gave a little whimper and with a quick look of apology D relaxed his hand.

“Ah,” D answered, eyes darting around the room in an attempt to avoid eye contact. “Of course,” he finally announced, grimacing but unable to think of anyway of refusing without causing disrespect or unnecessary hassle. “Thank you, ah, Akito-san.”

Akito beamed at D in return.

D heaved a sigh. And then after a few moments of silence barring the sparkle effects D could almost swear that he could hear coming from the direction of Akito-san’s smile, he forced a smile in return and stood.

Akito quickly stood as well.

T-chan rolled his eyes.

“Regrettably,” D began, “I really must begin to ready the shop for the day.”

Akito’s smile didn’t falter, “I understand, it was never my intention to interrupt your day, that’s why I called early this morning.”

“How kind of you,” D commented wryly, thinking about how much he appreciated having to wake early.

Akito’s gaze wandered over the Count’s body, making D uncomfortable with the obvious interest, Akito after a few seconds seemed to recognize his actions and his eyes darted away with a small blush forming on his cheeks. He cleared his throat with a cough before his eyes darted back to D’s, “I do, without the intention of being a bother, have another request of you.”

“Oh,” D said, letting out a deep breath, “what more can I do for you Akito-san?”

“My family is hosting an evening within the week, and while I know it is late notice I – my family and I would be truly honored if you could attend.” Akito for the first time that morning lost his beaming smile and instead his mouth tightened somewhat, making his smile seem forced, “I really won’t accept a refusal.”

D’s eyes narrowed in return, “I see.”

“It’s just that the honor of having you attend is really something we cannot do without – and it would be lovely to show the community how close we… our families are.”

“I see,” D repeated, but this time his voice was slightly softer. He understood how important reputation was to humans and while he may not enjoy being used as a pawn he knew that some situations were not worth fighting. “I will of course attend.”

Akito’s face rapidly lost his hardness and looked at D in complete happiness again. “If you would like me to come here before and attend with you-,” he began to eagerly offer.

D interrupted quickly, “oh that is not necessary Akito-san! I will of course attend but I am quite a busy man so you may find I can only make an appearance… so I we see you whenever I arrive at the party.”

“Of course,” Akito accepted, bowing at the waist, “I shall see to it that an official invitation reaches you today”. Akito straightened with a slight smirk on lighting his face, “shall I leave through the side door?” Akito asked. His smirk turned into a smile at D’s confusion and without waiting for a reply he continued, “to avoid rumors… I would hate to harm your reputation by being seen leaving early in the morning.”

"Ah," D said, with a fake smile that only his pets and a few others would recognize, "how gracious of you."

Akito accepted the smile for what it wasn't and with another quick bow in D's direction he turned towards the side entrance of the shop, one he only knew of through his family's slightly shadier dealings with the Count, and with a quick farewell he was gone.

D flopped back down on the couch in a much less graceful manner then usual and scowled at the direction the young man had gone.

From his place by D's feet T-chan stretched and stood, "do be careful Count," he intoned, "He's smarter than he looks."

With a sigh and a nod D joined his hands and rested his chin on them, "I know."

T-chan gave a little hum of agreement before eying the Count curiously, "shall I open the store?"

With a quick shake of his head D waved him away, "I believe I shall leave the store closed for at least a while longer, I am not in the mood for customers at the moment."

With a laugh T-chan agreed, before pausing to give D another look and when he appeared to find what he wanted in D's expression he nodded and went towards the kitchen with the intention of making breakfast.

D settled more into the couch and fixed the figurine sitting in front of him with a glare.

"Anything in particular you'd like for breakfast?" T-chan called from the kitchen.

Before D could offer a reply there was a knock on the front door. D's mouth shut with a snap and with a frown he stood.

Quickly T-chan's head appeared around the kitchen's doorway. "I wonder…" he said to the Count, "the closed sign is still up. I can go scare whoever it is off?" he offered.

D smiled, "thank you T-chan, but if it's important enough for someone to ignore the closed sign then I shall answer." His grin suddenly appeared sharper, "let us hope this is someone important." He began walking towards the foyer, "for I am not in the mood to deal with anyone even slightly irritating."

T-chan grinned in reply and disappeared from the doorway.

Count D reached his hand towards the door knob, released a deep breath, and opened the door.

*

Sometimes he dreams, dreams of things that he couldn’t allow himself to have, wouldn’t allow his self to have. A bright smile, blue eyes crinkling in pleasure, a masculine hand grasping his…

No matter how much he wanted them.

**Author's Note:**

> The summary's lovely quote is by someone else, but I seem to have misplaced it within my notes... so extra credit to anyone able to tell me the author's name?
> 
> Ohh, so hopefully this was the right amount of subtle without being completely unclear. It was this difficult line to toe of making it clear D misses Leon while making it clear that D does not realise it.
> 
> Next part, when up, is the reunion.


End file.
